Ash gate



May 8, 1928.

F. B. ALLEN AS-H GATE Filed June 28, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 8, 1928.

F. B. ALLEN ASH GATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 c Filed June 28, l

FIG 6 7 M m x n 6 3 5 i .Ewm a N k 1 Q a m E 1 n w n w r 0 m m 6 a w a 0x 1 .u f 2 F I F o m 1 v I q I: a u/ W m w i V 4 u 0 7 I \l A 1 u Mama @WYM Patented May 8, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. ALLEN, 01 PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ABSIGITOB, BY HES AS- SIGNIENTS, TO FRANK H. DUNBAB.

ASH GATE.

Application filed June 28, 1922. Serial No. 571,404.

My invention relates to hopper construction, particularly to construction of the bottom portion of hoppers having bottom discharge openings, which portion is commonly called the gate. 1t especially relates to gates for such hoppers which are to receive the ashes from large heating units. It also relates to so-called gate construction for hoppers having two or more spaced bottom discharge openings.

For the purpose of thisspecification the term gate is understood to mean the structural parts comprising the bottom portion of a hopper of the type above described and including, among other parts, (1) a stationary member surrounding each discharge opening in the hopper bottomand constituting more or less definite parts of the downwardly extending hopper walls, (2) a movable door for each discharge opening, and (3) a frame for supporting and operating the doors. 1

One object of myinvention is to construct a hopper gate comprising stationary members for two or more discharge openings, 9. frame for two or more stationary members having portions adapted to serve as tracks for door-supporting wheels and a door for each opening.

Another object is to construct a hopper gate having a door provided with longitudinally unaligned supporting wheels,' and a frame: having inner and outer portions adapted to serve as tracks for the unaligned door wheels.

Another object is to construct a hopper gate frame having inner portions between adjacent discharge openings which serve as rails for the wheels on the rear or adjacent ends of the doors for such openings and other outer portions which serve as rails for the wheels on the front or remote ends of such doors.

Another object is to construct a hopper gate comprising a door having an integral, liquid collecting channel composed of throughs formed along two sides and one end thereof, the side troughs each having a bottom wall inclined downwardly from one end toward the discharge end thereof and both side and end troughs having outer'walls door inclined. downwardly from the inner end of the gate toward the outer end thereof so that water which is caught in the troughs will run toward across trough on the frame. This slope is important in that it permits" the troughs to free themselves from fine ash dropping thereinto, due to the travel of the water therealong.

.Another object of my invention is to provide downwardly projectin nozzles on the stationary members to whic a hose may be attached for the purpose of washing out any ashes or clinkers that may have found their way into and remained in the tron hs.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple and yet rugged ash gate con struction such that the terminal members and frame may be built as a unit and com unit may be shipped from the point of manufacture to the place where it is to be attached to the bottom of an ash hopper to which it may be bolted or secured in any suitable manner.

Another'object of my invention is to provide other details of lmprovement tending to increase the efiiciency and serviceability of an ash gate 'of the above described char acter. I

To accomplish the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention 'makes use of means hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top view of one form of gate embodying my invention.

ig. 2 is a side view in elevation and partly in section, of the gate shown in Figure 1, the section being taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1. i

Fig. 3 is an end view in elevation, partly in section, of the gate and lower part of the hopper, the section being taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the gate taken on line in F igure 1.

Fig. 5 is a top view of the door without the frame and showing the troughs on the door and the stationary trough.

Fig. 6 is an end view of the door and trough partly in section, the section being taken on line 66 of Figure 1.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the door and stationary trough taken on line 7--7 Fig. 5. Referring more in detail to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the frame has two main girders 2 and 3, forming the longer sides of the gate frame which girders are connected near the middle by the cross ties 4 and 5g The ends of the girders shown at the left side of the figure are held together by the angle iron tie 6, while the other ends, shown in the right hand part of the figure are held together by the angle iron tie 7. Within this frame are secured hopper stationary members 8, one for each hopper discharge opening, which in the form shown are each composed of a cast iron casting. The inner side walls 8 of member 8 constitute the bottom portions of the downwardly extending hopper walls about the discharge openings as shown in Fig. 3 and co-operate with doors 9 and 10 to form a substantially ash-tight closure for the opening.

Each of the doors 9 and 10 is provided with two sets of wheels, one set being an inside set and the other being an outside set, with respect to the frame structure. The inside set of wheels are the wheels 11, and the outside setare the wheels 12. The wheels 12 are arranged to run on outside flanges 13 of members 2 and 3 respectively while the inside set of wheels 11 are arranged to run on an auxiliary set of flanges 14. These flanges are a part of angle iron pieces 1% which are located on the inside of the frame, see Fig. 4. These angle iron pieces 14* are only long enough to cover the space necesssary to accominodate the inside wheels of the door 10, and the inside wheels of the door 9. It will be understood, of course, that the door 9 has likewise its inner set of wheels 16 and its outer set of wheels 17.

The method of mounting the wheels 11 and 16 isshown in Fig. 4. Suitable bearings 23 are secured to the rear end of the door upon which bearings the wheels 11 are. suitablv mounted to rotate.

The wheels 12 are mounted a little difl'erently. A suitable arm 2 1 is secured to the lower part of the front end of door 10, Fig. 3. This arm has a projecting portion that passes under-the girder 3, it being cut away as shown in Fig. 3. for this purpose. ()n the right hand of this arm a suitable bearing 25 is clamped to the end of the arm. 24 by means of bolts 26. ()n this hearing the wheel 12 is secured to rotate. It will be seen that the wheel 12 is on the inner side of the hearing securing bolts 26 and rolls along the flange 13 of the girder 3.

On the opposite side oi the door there is another arm 27 similaixto the arm 24 on whiclfihe other wheel 12 is similarly mounted. it will be understood that the wheels 17 are similarly mounted on arms under the door 9, similar to arms 2-1 and 27. and that each of wheels 12 and 17 run on flanges 13 of members 2 and 3.

()n the under side of the frame and bolted to the-cross tie; 4 and 5, I secure the cylinder 28, Fig. 2, which is provided with two pistons, each piston having a piston rod secured thereto. One of the rods 29 is secured to the yoke 30 under and attached to the door 9, while the other piston rod 29 is secured to the yoke 31 under and attached to the door 10. It will beseen, therefore, that by operating the piston rod 29*, the door 10 may be opened as shown in Fig. 2, the piston being indicated at the extreme end of its stroke; by operating the piston in a reverse direction the door 10 may be closed.

In the operation of the door 10,'the wheels 11 will roll along the flanges 14 which serve as tracks while the wheels 12 will roll along the outer flanges 13 of the girders 2 and 3. In a similar manner the piston rod 29 will operate the door 9. It will be understood, of course, that when the door 10 is open, the door 9 must be closed or substantially so, and

vice versa, due to the limited space between the openings.

Since doors 9 and 10 are alike in substantially all respects only one will be described in detail. Door 10 is formed with upstanding flanges or projeceions 10 within which lining bricks or material (not shown) maybe positioned. Along the opposite sides and rear end, 10, the door is extended laterally and provided with upstanding flanges 10 which extend above the top of flanges 10 and the top of the door proper, all as is clearly shown in Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 6; Also, as will be noted from these figures, the flanges 10 extend above the bottom edge of inner side walls 8 of stationary member-s3. Flanges 10 and 10 co-operate to form troughs along the rear end and opposite sides of the door, the rear end trough being connected with the side troughs, for example, by enclosed passages cored out in the rear corners of the door. The troughs thus formed constitute, when joined together, a channel which has been designated on the drawings as 19, and which 'is adapted to collect liquid passing through the hopper andofl' the three sides of the door and to conduct such liquid to the front end of the gate where it may be discharged into' a trough 18. The channel 19 preferably has the highest point of its bottom wall along the rear end of the door, as at the point iii "ated by 20 in Fig. 4. From this point the bottom wall of the end trough slopes or inclines downwardly toward each side trough A and B as shown in'Fig. 4, and the bottom walls of troughs A and B each slope or incline downwardly from the end trough toward the front end of the door, as is clearly shown in Fig. 7.

These side troughs A and B terminate in ill) off into the channel 19 and then into the stationary trough 18, which is secured to members 2 and 3 atone end thereof and adjacent the'hopper discharge opening and in position to receive liquid discharged from the channel 19 at the front end of door 10. One or more pipes 32 may be fitted into trough 18 to conduct liquid therefrom 1150 a suitable drain or sewer, not shown. Along the front end of door 10-an extension 10 is provided which projects over the upper-liq-' uid collecting "wall 18 of trough 18 so that liquid which runs off the front end of the gate when it is in closed position is caught in trough 18. Of course when the door is in open position no liquid is discharged from the door into this trough.

Due to the extension of flanges 10* above the top of flanges 10 and the door proper and also above. the bottom of and outside of the downwardly extending part 8 of member 8 adjacent the hopper. dischar e opening, substantially all li uid which passes between the door and suc extension downwardly from member 8 is stopped by flanges 10 and directed into channel 19 regardless of its velocity. ,Such construction prevents leakage of liquid along three sides of the gate. Along the fourth side of the hopper discharge opening, however, the same result is obtained by a downwardly extending flange 8, Fig. 2, which extends below the top ,of the door and serves to intercept the flow of liquid from the door and direct it downwardly intotrough 18 which is located directly therebeneath and into which flange 8 pro ects. L

Projecting down from the upper side of the stationary member 8, Figs. 1 and 2,1 provide a nozzle 33, which is located at an angle sloping in the direction of the trough- 18. The object of this nozzle is to enable a hose or similar means connected to a source of water under pressure to communicate with the'nozzle for the purpose of scouring out the sidetroughs in the door in the event that ashes or other material accumulates therein. There is one such nozzle on either side of the member,- one for the trough A and another for the trough B. A similar set of nozzles are provided for the other door. It will be understood that any number-of these nozzles may be located anywhere above the trough 19 or stationary trough 18.

A gate of this construction is rugged and rigid. It is acomplete unit, may be assembled at the factory and as a unit picked up or breaking. It may then be conveyed to.

the plant where the ash hopper is located and bolted into position, as indicated in Fig.

3. Some of the bolts by means of which the frame is bolted in the ash hOPP r 34, Fig. 3, are long enough to extend from the flange 13 up to the flange 35. Other of the bolts are shorter. Along thegirders 2 and 3, suitable brackets 36 are provided and bolts are used to fasten these brackets to the flange 35. The brackets 36 are of course suitably riveted to the girders 2 and 3.

Trough, 18, as shown in the drawings, comprises enlarged trough shaped bot-tom portions 18*,open at the to and adapted to receive liquid discharged rom spouts 22; and an intermediate portion communicating, with portions 18 and havin upwardly and outwardly inclined liquir? walls 18 of greater length than the adjacent end of door '10 and adapted to receive liquid from extension10 of the door and from flange 8 of member 8. One of the walls 18,

namely the rear one or that adjacent to door ltwillbe noted that I have provided. an

ash gate of simpleyet durable construction, which can be assembled as" a unit and shipped to the place of installation and yet a construction which contains no unnecessary expensive parts and may be cheaply manufactured. 3 It will further be noted that I have constructed an ash" ate which is adapted to collect'substantia y all liquidwhich'passes through the hopp'erand to conduct the same to a suitable drainq-without leakage beneath the hopper. The features of construction which accomplish "this purpose include the channel 19, flanges 10 and 8", spouts 22, gate extensions 10 and trough 18. I

It will be observed that the arrangement of wheels on the ash doors is such that they are all protected from contact with ashes. The wheels 12 and 17wl1ich' travel past the ash discharge openings are. on the outside tracks and thoroughly protected from ashes while the wheels 11 and 16 do not passthe ash openin and ma therefore operate on irisidetracli since t ese tracks do not extend beneath the openings and therefore cannot collect ashes.

Having thus described 'a practical embodiment-of my invention, so that others skilled in "the; art may practice thesame, what I-desire' to secure by Letters Patent is defined in the claims, it being understood structural details and parts herein shown, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is: v 1. An ash gate door having a liquid carrying trough along one side thereof adapted to discharge liquid at one end of the door, the bottom wall of the said trough being inclined continuously downward from the remote end thereof towards the discharge end.

2. An ash gate door having communicating end and side troughs provided with inclined bottom walls, the bottom wall. of the said end trough being inclined toward the side troughs and the bottom walls of the side troughs being inclined toward the discharge ends thereof.

3. An ash gate door having communicating end and side troughs pr'ivided with inclined bottom walls, the said bottom wall of the end trough being inclined toward each of the said side troughs and the bottom Walls of the said, side troughs being inclined downwardly and terminating in laterally and downwardly projecting spouts at their discharge ends.

4. A door for a hopper gate having a liquid collecting trough along one side thereof, the said trough having inner and outer upstanding walls, the outer wall extending above the top of the inner wall and being adapted to deflect into the trough liquid passing over thesaid inner wall.

5. Liquid collecting means for a hopper having a bottom opening, comprising in combination a trough having inner and outer upstanding walls, a wall depending from the hopper between the said walls and extending below the top of the said walls, and means for directing against the said depending wall liquid passing through the hopper opening.

6. A gate construction for a hopper having a bottom opening, comprising a stationary member surrounding the said opening, and having a. depending flange adjacentto the rear and longitudinal side edges thereof, a door mounted for movement into and out of open and closed position with respect to the said opening and adapted to cooperate when in closed position with the said de pending flange to prevent the escape of solid material between the said flange and door, the door having liquid receiving troughs along three sides thereof, the outer walls of the said troughs being upright flanges located outside of the said depending flange and extending above the bottom of the said depending flange. i

7. A gate construction for a hopper comprising in combination a stationary member adapted to be secured in contact with the bottom of the hopper and having a downturned flange, and a door movably mounted therebeneath, the said door having water collecting troughs formed by upstanding walls along a plurality of sides thereof, the outer walls of the said troughs extending above the bottom of the said down-turned flange.

8. A gate construction for a hopper comprising a stationary member adapted to be secured in contact with the bottom ofthe hopper, a door movably mounted below the stationar member, the said door having a water co lecting trough located in substantially vertical alignment with the said member, and a nozzle in the said member adapted to communicate with the said trough in the door whereby fluid under pressure may be applied to the latter to remove refuse therefrom.

9. A gate construction for a hopper having a bottom opening, comprising a stationary member surrounding said opening, the said member having a down-turned flange near its inner edge, and a door movably mounted below the said opening and pro-- operate when in closed position withthe said depending flange to prevent the escape of ashes between the said flange and door, the door having liquid receivin troughs along its rear end and longitudina sides, the outer walls of the said troughs being upright flanges located outside of the said depending flange and extendin above the bottom-of the said depending ange.

11. A hopper gate construction for a hopper having a bottom opening, comprising a stationary member surrounding the said opening, and having a depending flange adjacent to the rear edge thereof, a door mounted for movement into, and out of open and closed position with respect to the said opening and adapted to cooperate when in closed position with the said depending flange toprevent the escape of solid material bet-ween the said flange and door, the door havinga liquid receiving (trough along its rear end, the outer wall of the said trough being an upright flange ,located, outside of the said depending flange and extending above the bottom of the said depending flange.

12. A gate construction for a hopper having a bottom opening, comprising a stationary member surrounding the said opening, and having a depending flange adjacent to the said opening and adapted to cooperate said troughs and extension being adapted to" when in closed position with the said depending flange to prevent the escape of solid materialbetween the said flange and door, the door having liquid receiving troughs along three sides thereof, the outer walls of the said troughs being upright flanges located outside of the said depending flange and extending above the bottom of the said depending flange, and a stationary trough adapted to receive liquid discharged from the door when same isin closed position with respect to the said opening.

13. A gate constructionv for a hopper having a. bottom opening, comprising a stationary member adapted to surround the openingand having a depending wall, a stationary trough having upright walls on either side ofand spaced apart from the-depending wall, and a door for the opening having an extension projecting over one wall of the trough, when the door is in closed position with respect to the opening, the top of the said extension being above the bottom of the said depending wall. 7 1

14. A gate construction for a hopper having a bottom opening, comprising a door having liquid collecting troughs along the rear end and longitudinal sides thereof and having an extension along the front end thereof for the full width of the opening, said troughs and extension being adapted to discharge liquid at the front end ofthe door, and a stationary trough in liquid receiving position with respect to, the front end of the said door, the said stationary trough comprising an upstanding wall extending above the bottom of the door for the entire width of same and having its to overlapped by the front e ge of the said extension.

15. A gate construction for a hopper having a bottom opening, comprising a door having liquid collecting troughs along the rear end and longitudinal sides thereof and having an extension along the front end thereof for the full width; of the opening,

discharge liquid at the front end of the door, and a stationary trough in liquid receiving position with respect to the front end of the said door, the said stationary trough comprising a rearwardly and upwardly inclined wall extending above the bottom of the doorfor the entire width of same and having its top edge below and overlapped by the front edge of the said extension.

16. The combination with a hopper provided with a bottom discharge opening, of a frame surrounding said opening, a door having suspending means to reciprocatecn said frame, said door having inner and edge below and outer upstanding walls forming troughs along its sides, sald outer walls being higher than said inner walls, and depending flanges on the frame overlying the troughs.

17. The combination with a hopper provided with a bottom discharge opening. of a frame secured to the bottom of the hopper and surrounding said opening and provided with tracks. a door mounted to reciprocate on said tracks, said door having inclined troughs along its sides and one end. said troughs beingdisposed beneath a flange forming a part of the frame, said flange having a' down-turned lip adjacent to the 1 inner edge of the trough opening and means to deflect the water escaping outwardly into the trough.

inner. and outer walls and an opening between, flanges on said frame disposed adjacentthe inner edges of said trough openings, and means to deflect water escaping between: said-flanged and inner Walls into said troughs.

19. The combination of a hopper having a gate located under the hopper; means for moving the gate into and out of position; a gutter at each side of the gate; a transverse gutter at one end of the gate inclined from the center towards the edge; and a fixed trough at the opposite end of the hopper sothat'water accumulating in the hopper will flow into the gutters and from the gutters to the fixed, trough.

20. The, combination of a hopper having a base ring rails supported by the base ring some distance from the bottom of the hopper; a gate havingwheels mounted on the rails; means for moving'the gate into position under the hopper, or to one side thereof;gutters formed on three sides of the gate,

the outer walls of the gutters extending above the top of the gate; a fixed trough at the remaining side of the gate arranged to receive the water escaping from that side ,of the hopper and from the gutters; and

outer upstanding flanges pro'ecting above the bottom of said depending anges whereby liquid collecting upon said door will be discharged at one end thereof, and a stationary means adapted to receive the liquid discharged from the door when the same is in closed position with respect to the open- 1ng.

22. The combination with a hopper provided with a bottom discharge opening, of a stationary member surrounding the opening, a door movably mounted .to open and close said opening and being provided with troughs, comprising inner and outer walls and a. longitudinal opening between them, said member havin portions adjacent the inner edges of said longitudinal openings to prevent escape of solid material between said member and door, and deflecting means located on the door and within a vertical plane through the door and extending across the line of flow of liquid escaping betweensaid member and door to deflect said liquid into said troughs.

23. A gate construction for a hopper having a discharge opening in its lower portion, comprising downwardly extending stationthe said upstanding walls when the closure is in closed'position with respect to the said opening, and a trough disposed at one end of the closure in position to receiveliquid flowing from the adjacent end of the closure and between the oppositely disposed upstanding walls on the closurewhen the closure is in closed position with respect to the discharge opening.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day of June, 1922.

FRANK B. ALLEN. 

